[Dixielandjazz] Making Love To The Audience

Tue Jan 13 14:27:48 PST 2009

Reading all the recent posts, I must as a lurker, interject.

I grew up in the swing / sweet era.. One of the comments regarding dancing during that time was" Vertical movements for a horizontal desire" . If you saw the young dancers responding to the sweet bands music, the members of the band  also returned to the auidence, their means of playing as sexy as possible, At the end of a dance the last two or three tunes were the ones that were usually the most critical between the the two dancers., will she . won't she, will he ????

As one who began dancing with older women, who were 17 / 18 ,  I can remember some of those last tunes.. The young lady resting her head on my shoulder and holding tight., some times , as Pinetop Smith said , "Dancing on a dime". Not much progress on the dance floor, but !

I agree in part with Steve and Larry, each has his own means of expressing his approach to creating  mood, How many times has the leader announced to the dancers, " Get your Best Guy or Gal,  , thanks for being here, and other complimentary comments , this our last set. ". Then turns to the band and they close with some of the more sensual music of the era.  Who made it sensual, the Dancers ?? The musician, who sensed what the dancers wanted ?? The writer, who through his selection  of notes, chords, tempo, possibly the lyrics created a mood..

Swing and sway with Sammy Kaye, Swing and sweat with Charlie Barnett

The lyrics in the 20s and 30s music has always caused me to ponder, did my parents get the same reaction to "I want to make love to you",  and other similar comments, that i did  in the 30s and 40s.??

I think the arguments at most are specious, every musician has his own view of how he reacts to the audience, and as one of the audience, how do I react to the music being  put down. 

My late Lady Friend, found the sounds of Frank Sinatra and his backing bands , very condusive to tight dancing and pleasurable moments.

Keep it up Larry and Steve, you each have a unique way of expressing how to captivate an audience

Slainte

Eichy da

Ed 

--- On Tue, 1/13/09, Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis <larrys.bands at charter.net> wrote:

From: Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis <larrys.bands at charter.net>
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Making Love To The Audience
To: "Ed Coltrin" <boreda at sbcglobal.net>
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Date: Tuesday, January 13, 2009, 10:39 AM

You might have used the term "Smooze the audience" that is musically 
stroking them and giving them pleasure which is almost exactly the same.

What we do as musicians is act as a intermediary between men and women.  We 
put them into the mood and put the right words into their mind and mouth. 
They sing along with us as they dance and are holding someone close.

We become sort of a love broker with the audience.  The better we are at it 
the better we do as musicians.

There are those who deny all such things or say they don't go on.  These
are 
the musicians that think it's all about them and the notes coming out of
the 
horns.  This is, of course, true sometimes and would most likely to be true 
in a concert type situation.  There is a relationship between the audience 
and the musician and often it is sexual.  If you don't believe it look at 
just about any of the pop music videos on MTV.

After playing thousands of dances I know that what I do puts people into the 
mood to "get it on as they say".  I'm very good at it too.  Some
of the guys 
used to call me "Felix" because I would stroke people like a cat when
I 
played.   I got that handle when I played the show "Cats" and was
portraying 
a cat with my horn, slinking around like a cat.  I don't just put out notes

when I'm playing for a dance I put out a mood.

With some crowds it never gets off the ground either and it would never 
happen while playing the seventh Dixie chorus of Toot Toot Tootsie.  It's 
all in the setting and mood and what we do with it.

I tell my female vocalists, especially if they are having trouble with 
selling the crowd or connecting, that they are flat out selling sex but..... 
not between them and some guy but rather putting the words into the mouth 
and mind of that woman out there and what she wants to say to the man
that's 
holding her.  By the same token she is putting the words into the man's
mind 
and he will imagine his woman saying them to him.  Once you get that concept 
across singers will throw a whole lot more into a song and become much more 
effective.  Sometimes it's about other things than sex for example humor or

some other emotion even sadness.

Can you do it with a horn?  You bet.  I can get as sensual as a cat with my 
playing and I can turn on the ladies. Why do you think women like Saxophone 
so much?  It's because unlike any other instrument with maybe the exception

of the violin it has that ability to be sensuous, dirty, crude, beautiful, 
sentimental, loving, funny, sexual or none of the above depending on the 
setting and mood.   I figured all that out before I was 15 and have been 
doing it ever since.

I play with one band where the female vocalist turns on when I play against 
her vocals.  At Last, Smooth Operator and some blues tunes are two that she 
and the ladies seem to like.  Her husband plays with the band and doesn't 
care for it much, although he should thank me for warming her up.  I know 
it's happening because of the eye contact and I know that look.

I don't care what you call it there is a highly sexual and sensuous thing 
that happens sometimes.  Weather we call it making love to the audience or 
whatever you want to call it, it happens.  Pure and simple, I make women 
want to take their cloths off and I make men want them to do it.  (-: Of 
course not while I'm playing OKOM....lol :-)

Now I will duck  before the slings and arrows start flying.
Larry
St. Louis

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Stephen G Barbone" <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
To: "Larry Walton" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List"
<dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Tuesday, January 13, 2009 9:02 AM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Making Love To The Audience

>> "Robert Ringwald" <rsr at ringwald.com> wrote
>>
>> Steve,
>>
>> You know, and I know, and I am sure that every member of DJML knows 
that 
>> the
>> term "Making love" is a polite way of saying "Having
sexual 
>> intercourse."
>>
>> Thus, when you say that you are making love to your audience, what  do

>> you
>> think we will make of it?
>>
>> If you are going to say these ridiculous things, then mean what you 
say.
>> Don't try to worm your way  out of them.
>
> Dear Bob:
>
> I am shocked that you find no differentiation between "making
Love"  and 
> "having sexual intercourse."
>
> More over, I am shocked that you would state that premise as a  universal 
> truth every member of the DJML believes. I for one,  respectfully 
> disagree.
>
> I believe there is a huge difference between "making love" and
"having 
> sex", and will explain it  because you don't seem to get it. One
makes 
> love to a person (or audience) one loves and respects. One has sex  with a

> person usually for self gratification with no thought of 
"love". That is 
> usually called lust, or f***ing.
>
> To put it bluntly, there is a huge difference in "making love to the 
> audience" which is what usually draws a following and more gigs, and 
> f***ing the audience which usually results in no more gigs.
>
> If, as you postulate, none of the band leaders on the DJML know the 
> difference, no wonder there is no audience for this music. They are  all, 
> except for me, f***ing the audience.
>
> Thank you for helping me make my point.
>
> Cheers,
> Steve Barbone
> www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband
>
>
>
>
>
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